The American Hydrofluorocarbon Coalition Files Antidumping Duty Petition Against R-134a from China

WASHINGTON, March 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) Coalition and its members today filed an antidumping duty petition charging that unfairly traded imports of R-134a from China are causing material injury to the U.S. fluoro-chemicals industry. The petition was filed concurrently with the United States Department of Commerce and the United States International Trade Commission (USITC). The American HFC Coalition alleges dumping margins for R-134a ranging from 150 percent to over 200 percent.

R-134a is a Hydrofluorocarbon refrigerant gas. It is the primary coolant found in automobiles. It is also used in large chillers in commercial buildings, home refrigerators, aerosols, propellants and other applications. The petition is being filed in response to large and increasing volumes of low-priced imports from China. Imports from China have increased by more than 35 percent from 2013 to 2015, and continue to steadily increase. As a result, U.S. manufacturers are losing market share and prices are rapidly falling.

This is the second antidumping petition filed by the HFC Coalition. The first petition was filed June 25, 2015, and seeks relief from Chinese imports of R-410A and other HFC blends. The HFC blends covered by the first case are the primary refrigerants used in home air conditioning and supermarket refrigeration. As a result of the first petition, the Department of Commerce recently issued preliminary results, imposing antidumping duties ranging from 91.99 percent to 210.46 percent.

The new petition covering R-134a from China seeks the imposition of antidumping duties to level the playing field, particularly in the aftermarket for automotive air conditioning. China has constructed sufficient HFC capacity to supply its own market as well as the entire U.S. market four-times over. Without relief from unfair trade, the U.S. industry will be unable to continue investing in U.S. production of refrigerants. The action is expected to take 9-13 months to complete, with a preliminary determination imposing antidumping duty deposits within approximately 6 months.

The American HFC Coalition believes this action is essential to improving the economics of the U.S. industry and to allow for future reinvestment and growth. The Coalition has retained the law firm of Cassidy Levy Kent (USA) LLP to represent the U.S. industry before the Commerce Department and the USITC.